Popular Culture Review 32.1
such things as ticket booths , shopping carts , and turnstiles ( 101 ). 3 This imposed identity connects to a final characteristic of non-places : because of their imposed contractual nature , “ the user of the non-place is always required to prove his [ sic ] innocence ” ( 102 ). A user ’ s identity is checked by gatekeepers of various sorts : key cards , drivers ’ licenses , parking passes , boarding tickets , etc .
Augé ’ s concept this concept has “ had a significant impact across the humanities and social sciences ” ( Merriman 17 ). It is perhaps such a popular tool because of what it can reveal by its deconstructive nature : the non-place turns a modern wishlist on its head . Who wouldn ’ t want to be more productive , better informed , and have more elbow room in an environment tailored to one ’ s needs ? Augé interprets these excesses as creating spaces not of leisure , joy , or particular meaning — but quite the opposite : the urban landscape is most characterized by carbon-copied locations of quiet power .
NON-PLACES IN BANDE DE FILLES
Non-places in Bande de filles are largely a matter of
mise-en-scène and tend to fall into one of three categories : empirical , ironic , and anthropological . The term “ empirical non-place ” is Augé ’ s own (“ Retour ” 171 ) and refers to locations that easily fit within his original concept . In Sciamma ’ s film , such locations include the anonymous office building where Marieme ’ s mother works , or the mini-golf range were the bande escapes to play , a dull copy of any such location from nearly anywhere in the world whose use is clearly dictated by the very arrangement of its elements .
Of particularly import is Marieme ’ s school . Early in the movie , the camera frames her in a medium close-up , just her head and shoulders , wearing a purple hoodie and a grey t-shirt . The
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